Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
---Margaret Mead
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the sum total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.
---Robert Kennedy
Description:
The ultimate goal of this course is to help you develop the knowledge and understanding, the skills and confidence to take an active and meaningful role in our society. It is my sincere hope that you will leave this classroom in May prepared and eager to engage in the civic life of this nation. The content of the course and the assignments are designed to help you achieve this goal.
During the first semester, we will undertake a chronological approach to the history of the United States in the 20th century. We will concentrate on three major themes: the growth of government, the role of the U.S. in a changing world and the struggle for equal rights. We will seek to identify the most important forces shaping American history in this time period and to place current issues within a broader historical context. We will also bring to life a diversity of individuals—both famous and ordinary---whose ideas, actions, and beliefs have had a fundamental and lasting impact on our national development and character. Underscoring our semester will be the idea of democracy, its changing meaning, and its role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy in this nation.
We will also keep a close eye on the 2008 elections. We will examine the role of elections in our democratic system of government, analyze the actions, words, and decisions of the major candidates, and assess the impact of the media on the election process. We will culminate our study of the 2008 election by presenting a mock presidential election to the school on November 3 and conducting a mock presidential election on November 4. During the second semester, we will focus on American government and seek to deepen our understanding of American politics and the processes of government that shape our public policies. We will focus on examining and evaluating our institutions of government, those who run these institutions, the public policies they create, and the influence of the people on those policies. As a class, we will travel to Washington, D.C. in February to see our government in action.
Course materials
Goldfield et al. The American Journey: A History of the United States Brief 2nd Edition.
The Nystrom Atlas of U.S. History. Nystrom, 2004.
Davidson, James and Mark Lytle. After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection. McGraw Hill, 2000.
Shea et al. Living Democracy. Prentice Hall. 2008.
Diclerico, Robert and Allan Hammock, Points of View: Readings in American History and Government 11th Edition (2009).
YEAR PLAN
FIRST SEMESTER * Course Intro: Politics in America
Unit 1: The Emergence of Modern America
Special 2008 Elections Unit
Unit 2: Great Depression & World War II
Unit 3: Post War America
SECOND SEMESTER * Unit 4: Contemporary U.S.
Unit 5: Constitutional Foundations
Unit 6: The Institutions of Government
Unit 7: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
Unit 8: Public Policy
Assessment & Grading Assignments will be graded on a point system – different assignments are worth different amounts of points. More detailed descriptions of these assignments are located on the course web site including objectives, procedures, and grading rubrics. Semester grades are determined by dividing the total number of points by the total number of points possible. A typical unit will look like this:
Homework assignments
10 pts. each
Seminar Leadership/Participation
50 pts.
Town Meeting | Debate | Multi Media Project
100 pts.
Unit Test
100 pts.
Total
260 pts
Additionally, you will complete several major projects throughout the year: Mock Presidential Debate, 1968 Town Meeting, a Model Congress, and our concluding project, “On Our Docket.” More information including project calendars and rubrics are located on the course web site.
COURSE POLICIES
Participation
Your success in this course depends on your active participation in class, your engagement in the material, your commitment to learning, and your cooperation with and respect for your peers. As such, you will receive a participation grade as part of your overall assessment in this course. This grade will take into account your performance in the following areas: preparation for class, level of engagement, discussion, note taking, and remaining on task. You will receive a daily assessment for your participation (0 – 5) and periodic updates on your progress.
Technology
Your laptop is a powerful tool to help you expand your understanding of our world. We will rely heavily on many web 2.0 technologies to access and organize information, collaborate with one another, and share our knowledge and understanding with a wider audience. You must have a functioning laptop each day of class. It is your responsibility to see the Tech Office immediately if you have issues.
Deadlines & Late Assignments
Homework assignments in this course are due at the beginning of class. This includes postings to the class weblog and the class wiki. Late assignments will be docked five points per day up to a maximum of fifty points.
Major projects and essays are due at the beginning of class unless otherwise indicated. Assignments received after this time period will be docked ten points per day up to a maximum of fifty points.
You may submit your work electronically or you may submit a hard copy of your assignment in class. If you choose to submit your work electronically, you must save copies of your all your assignment on your hard drive.
All assignments must be completed by the end of the semester. Any outstanding work will result in an incomplete.
Absences & Missed Work
All assignments and/or tests and quizzes must be submitted or completed before you leave campus for a planned absence including athletic events and field trips.
If you are absent on the day an assignment is due or a quiz, test, or presentation is scheduled, you must make every effort to contact me prior to your return to school. You should plan on turning in your assignment and/or making up the quiz or test as soon as possible following your return to school.
If you are absent for more than 1 day, please see me upon your return to school so we can schedule make-up dates.
The Honor Code
On my honor, I will do my own work, uphold the ideals of my school, support Student Body Government, protect the good name and property of my school, and see that all others do the same.
All students are expected to abide by the McGehee Honor Code in this course. Incidences of cheating and plagiarism will be referred to the Student Council. In addition, any student who plagiarizes will receive a zero for the assignment. To avoid plagiarism, always completing your own assignments and properly cite information or interpretations drawn from another individual. Refer to the Louise S. McGehee Writing Resources guide for more information. When in doubt, ASK!
Over the course of the year, we will use many online resources in this course. In addition, you will complete several research oriented projects involving the Internet. Cutting and pasting directing from the Internet into a current events report, paper, or project is never acceptable and will be considered as plagiarism in this course and as such, a violation of the Honor Code. All Internet research should be properly cited. We will review citation policies in class.
The Louise S. McGehee School
Carolyn Thompson
carolynt@mcgeheeschool.com | ccsark@gmail.com
---Margaret Mead
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the sum total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.
---Robert Kennedy
Description:
The ultimate goal of this course is to help you develop the knowledge and understanding, the skills and confidence to take an active and meaningful role in our society. It is my sincere hope that you will leave this classroom in May prepared and eager to engage in the civic life of this nation. The content of the course and the assignments are designed to help you achieve this goal.During the first semester, we will undertake a chronological approach to the history of the United States in the 20th century. We will concentrate on three major themes: the growth of government, the role of the U.S. in a changing world and the struggle for equal rights. We will seek to identify the most important forces shaping American history in this time period and to place current issues within a broader historical context. We will also bring to life a diversity of individuals—both famous and ordinary---whose ideas, actions, and beliefs have had a fundamental and lasting impact on our national development and character. Underscoring our semester will be the idea of democracy, its changing meaning, and its role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy in this nation.
We will also keep a close eye on the 2008 elections. We will examine the role of elections in our democratic system of government, analyze the actions, words, and decisions of the major candidates, and assess the impact of the media on the election process. We will culminate our study of the 2008 election by presenting a mock presidential election to the school on November 3 and conducting a mock presidential election on November 4.
During the second semester, we will focus on American government and seek to deepen our understanding of American politics and the processes of government that shape our public policies. We will focus on examining and evaluating our institutions of government, those who run these institutions, the public policies they create, and the influence of the people on those policies. As a class, we will travel to Washington, D.C. in February to see our government in action.
Course materials
YEAR PLAN
* Course Intro: Politics in America
* Unit 4: Contemporary U.S.
Assessment & Grading
Assignments will be graded on a point system – different assignments are worth different amounts of points. More detailed descriptions of these assignments are located on the course web site including objectives, procedures, and grading rubrics. Semester grades are determined by dividing the total number of points by the total number of points possible.
A typical unit will look like this:
COURSE POLICIES
Participation
Technology
Deadlines & Late Assignments
Homework assignments in this course are due at the beginning of class. This includes postings to the class weblog and the class wiki. Late assignments will be docked five points per day up to a maximum of fifty points.
Major projects and essays are due at the beginning of class unless otherwise indicated. Assignments received after this time period will be docked ten points per day up to a maximum of fifty points.
You may submit your work electronically or you may submit a hard copy of your assignment in class. If you choose to submit your work electronically, you must save copies of your all your assignment on your hard drive.
All assignments must be completed by the end of the semester. Any outstanding work will result in an incomplete.
Absences & Missed Work
All assignments and/or tests and quizzes must be submitted or completed before you leave campus for a planned absence including athletic events and field trips.
If you are absent on the day an assignment is due or a quiz, test, or presentation is scheduled, you must make every effort to contact me prior to your return to school. You should plan on turning in your assignment and/or making up the quiz or test as soon as possible following your return to school.
If you are absent for more than 1 day, please see me upon your return to school so we can schedule make-up dates.
The Honor Code
On my honor, I will do my own work, uphold the ideals of my school, support Student Body Government, protect the good name and property of my school, and see that all others do the same.